Coal-handling plant



C. S. WILLIAMSON.

COAL HANDLING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1917.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

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C. S. WILLIAMSON.

COAL HANDLING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. |911.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

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'y c. s. WILLIAMSON.

COAL HANDLING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. |911.

1,315,439. Patendspt. 9,1919.

I v ariens-suena.

CHARLES s. wrLLrAivrsoiv, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COAL-HANDLING PLANT.

Original application led February 26, 1916, SerialN'o.

1917. Serial To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. W1LL1AM- son, a citizen of the United States, residing` at Chicago, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Handling Plants, of which the following is the speci* fication. i

It is an object of the invention to provide mechanism of a novel kind for taking coal from a hopper into the cars of a cable or equivalent system, this mechanism eliminating to a. large extent, the i heretofore unavoidable dropping and consequent breakage of the coal.

Figure 1is an elevation of the entire system constructed according to my inven-` tion. i i Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the mechanism for loading cable cars.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the car loading mechanism.

F ig. il is a. transverse cross sectional view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a detailed plan view illust ating the control for the plunger comprising a part of mechanism for loading the cable cars.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation, partly in cross section showing the control mea-ns for the plunger operating mechanism.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial Number 80,577, filed February 26, 1916.

Reference being had to the drawings, 1 represents a storage yard or the like, in connection with which is a car dumper 2, to which railroad cars are sent from the storage yard 1, and from which tracks 5` lead out, upon which are operated cars 4f, which it is an object of this invention to load in a novel and eflicient manner. Under-- neath the car dumper 2 are located preferably a` plurality, in this instance i bins, 6. The mechanism for loading the cars 4; from the hopper 6 supplied by the car dumper embodies many important advantages.

Reference being had to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, Fig. 3 represents one of the hoppers asso ciated with the car dumper, four such hoppers being in this instance provided, arranged successively alongand over the cable cartrack and supported on suitable struc-` tural steel supports. The hopper 6 is pro- Speecation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

86,577. Divided and this application filed March 22, N0. 156,611.

vided with `a front wall 11v suitably sup- 'portedfby I and channel irons 12 and provided near its bottom with a reverse angle 13, `while the rear wall 14- of the hopper 6 is continuous past the angle 13 so as to provide an inclined and constricted passage 15 leading to the bottom 17 of the hopper. The front wall 111 of the hopper below the angle 13 is cut off so` as to` leave a considerable space between its lower edge and the bot-` linings 20 are provided in hopper 6 and are constricted as1 indicated at 21` so asto leave, a-space betweeirthelnand the outer side `walls 19, braces 422 `reinforcing the` angles. 1n these spaces thus formed are firmly secured angle iron tracks or runways 23 extending the entire length of thefside plates `19 including the extensions 19.` Runningupon the` tracks 23are wheels 2-1 of carriages `or standards `25 bolted to racks 26, which are `firmlyfastened (as by welding)` to the top plate 27 which with'the face of plate 28 forms a plunger for loading the cable cars. plate `2,8 are held in correct position by suitable reinforcements29 as indicated in Fig. 2 and suitably secured to these reinforcements 29 are braces 30 bolted to the racks 26 which as stated are in turn welded `or otherwise suitably secured to the top plate 27. The plunger structure is thus strongly reinforced and braced throughout. i

The face plate 28 is adapted to snugly fit in and completely occupy the recess between the bottom of the rear wall. Hof the hopper and its floor 17, and between the side plates 19 belowthe constricted portion 211 of the hopper.

Mounted upon a shaft 35 in the side plates 19 is a gate comprising curved web 36 inte` grally connected at both ends to sectors 37 mounted at their angles upon the shaft Thegate 36 isoperated in conjunction with the plunger 28 and is moved downwardly The top plate 27 and the face at the proper time into dotted line position (see Fig. 3) soY as to permit coal to be pushed over the edge of the floor 17 into cars traveling below by the plunger at each of its operations. It is operated by a link 40 connected to a crank 41 upon a suitable Y shaft provided with a gear 42 operated by Y plunger '28. the -opening 47 being bounded by angle irons' 49 slightly larger than angle irons 50 forming part of the structural support for the hopper. The Vconstruction just described is provided to catch coal dust caused to move v backwardly on each return stroke of the plunger and discharge this dust into a car beneath the hopper saving approximately a handful of dust on each stroke and aggregating an appreciable amount of coal in the days operation. The members are operated in an obvious manner by Va bent link 51 connected toV one of sector members 37 running on roller 52 in the side plates 19 and adapted to impinge the pin 53 mounted in the sector member 45, so that each time the Y gate 36 is moved into position shown in the dotted line in Fig. 3 the Vbucket structure 45 Will be quickly thrown to one side dumping the accumulated dust into the car below.

I will novv describe the Ymechanism for l operating the plunger 28, it being of course understood that any other means than the specific one here described and capable of Y doing like vvork could be substituted therefor Without departing fromV the broad features of the invention, Reference being had to Figs. 5 and 6, it Will be seen that I provide a series of electrical contacts 55, 56, 57, 58,759 and 60, there being as many of these contacts as necessary to it the requirements of any particular situation. These contacts are adapted to be closed by shoes on the cable car and operate valves 61, 62, 63, and 64, as many of these valves as required to fit the particular situation being employed. The Contact 55 acting through solenoid 55 Operates to start the associated plunger for- Ward by letting air into the pneumatic apparatus to be described. The contact 56 vvhen closed, causes the valve to be closed yagain through solenoid 56 stopping the plunger. The contact 57 acting through solenoid 57 and valve 62 returns theplunger. The contact 58 acting through solenoid 58y again closes the valve. The contacts 59 andV 60 acting through their associated solenoids again operate the plunger. It will be readily seen that the pneumatic mechanism controlled by the valves 61, 62, 63, etc., comprises a cylinder in which is mounted a piston 71 rigidly connected with the rod 7 2, the cylinder being provided with a head 73 screwed therein and also screwed to the sleeve74 in which the rod 72 slides, which sleeve 74 is mounted in a thrust bearing 7 5. Air is supplied to cylinder 70 through tube 76 in communication with one of the valves 61, 62, etc. The rod 72 is connected adjacent thrust bearing with collar 77 having an extended hub 78, bearing against the hub 79 of a gear S0 provided with a conical friction face 81, the collars 75 and 7 9 being mounted upon the journal 82 forn'iing a continuation of sleeve 74 as does the sleeve S3 nounted in the thrust bearing 84, a slotted connection being provided to permit the collar 77 to move longitudinally with the rod 72. The entire construction described is duplicated in the left hand side of Fig. 6 though the parts do not appear as thcv do in the right hand or sectional side of' the drawing.

Rotatably mounted upon the sleeves S3 are bevel gear pinions 85 having friction faces adapted to coperate with friction facesjSl as clearly seen, and equipped with springs (not shown) 86 to separate the friction surfaces, From the construction so far described, it will be apparent that admission of air to one of the tubes 76 will push the rod 72 and therefore the rear friction face 81 into frictional engagement with the nearest bevel pinion 85 and release the` eugagement of the other bevel pinion so as to rotate the gear 87 in one direction or the other. The gear S7 is rigidly mounted upon the shaft 88 which is provided with bearings in the side plates 19 of the hopper and cai'- ries the gears 89 in mesh with racks 26 counected to plate 27 of the plunger as above explained.

The drive for gears 80 is provided bv the shaft 90 having thereon gears 91 in engagement with each of the gears 80 and continuously driven by means of an electric motor 91 or by equivalent means driving` through pinion 92 and a large gear 93. By the mech* anism just described it will be apparent that as each car proceeds under one of the hoppers the associated plunger will move forwardly to deposit a load therein and then move backwardly into retracted position ready for the next load.

It will be clearly seen that with the plunger in its retracted position (see Fig. 2) the coal will rest upon the floor 17 of the hopper in front of the plunger, the line of repose of the coal being shown by the line R. Vhen the plunger moves forwardly the mass of coal between the line R and dot-ted line l, Fig. 2, will be gently shoved forward over the front edge of the floor 17 and deposited in the car immediately below.` o The coal above the `line P simply slides down into and rests upon the plate top 27` of the hopper `as the same moves forward. As the plungerQS is retracted after having deposited the mass of co-al M in the caribelow, `the coal will drop down over its front plate28 onto the floor 17. The gate 36 is provided to prevent coal splashing out of the `hopper at this time. i 1.

I considered the plunger loading apparatus just described in detail of great importance for the reason that it is :the first so far as I am aware, to provide ior loading cars without leaving a very considerable clearance between the loading apparatus and the car made necessary by turning, upsetting or other similar movement of the actual loading device in load-ing the car. By employing a plunger movable in the same plane as the car, I may make the clearance between the car and the loading apparatus just as small as practicable to permit a car to pass under the bottom of the hopper, and the device will operate perfectly to deposit coal from' the car into the hopper. This reduces the drop of the coal by many inches and very largely diminishes breakage. Furthermore, and as an important feature oii this inven tion, the coal is moved forwardly by the `plunger in fthe same direction as that in which the car is going, so that practically all the shock or jar of the coal in a horizontal direction 4as it is dumped into the car, is eliminated, the coal and the car moving together at practically the same speed when they come together. `With the horizontal jar upon the'coal eliminated and more important the great reduction in its drop, I very greatly reduce the breakage.

In the particular modiiication of the invention herein disclosed, l] :provide Ifour hoppers each provided with a plunger as just described and each adapted to push a quarter of the full ear load into the car passing underneath it so that a four ton car (for insta-nce) going under the four hoppers picks up a ton from each hopper. This method of instalment-loading reduces breakage and makes the operation simple and faster than to load the full load in one charge.

I-Iaving now ldescribed my invention, I claim 1. In apparatus of the class described, a hopper', a trackwiay associated therewith, a plunger moving in a plane parallel with the -trackway, and means for operating said plunger to push a load of coal from said hopper out of the same into a subjacent car, said means automatically operating upon the successive passage of the cars.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a hopper having a constricted portion, a bottom extending beyond said constricted por- ,eee 3 tion, automatically operated plunger mechanism moving over said bottom and adapted to push a load of coal or thewlike over the edge of said bottom upon the passage thereunder or' cars, means for preventing said coal or the like from spilling over the edge of said bottom when said plunger is in a retracted position, and Ameans for render ing saidpreventing means inoperative when said plunger is operating to discharge said coalor the like.

3. In` apparatus of the class described, a hopper, a-daptedto contain coal or the like, a passageway extending through said h-op-` per adjacent its bottom, a plunger' device adapted to reciprocate in said passageway to push the material filling the same out of the hopper, means to catch the dust snapped up by said plunger on its return stroke.

4. In apparatusof the class described, a hopper adapted to contain coal or the like, a passageway extending through said hopper adjacent its bottom, a plunger device adapted to reciprocate in said passageway, a gate adapted to pre-vent coal or the like from `accidentally falling out of said hopper, and means to raise said gate upon the operative motion of the plunger device.

5. In apparatus of the class described a hopper having a constricted portion, a chamber below said constricted portion, a plunger adapted to reciprocate in said chamber to push a load of coal or the like therefrom, an opening in the side of the chamber, and a gate operable to open as said plunger advances.

6. In apparatus of the class described a hopper, a receiving compartment below said hopper, an opening in the front of said compartment, a plunger adapted to recipro cate in said compartment to push a load of coal or the like through said opening, a gate operatively mounted over said opening, a second opening in the bottom of said compartment and behind said plunger, a gate over said second opening, and means to operate both of said gates in unison as said plunger advances.

7. In apparatus of the class described a hopper having an inclined rear face and terminating in a passageway closed at the bottom and two sides, a plunger fitting in said passageway and comprising a front face and a top plate, means for reciprocatino said plunger to discharge coal or the like from the hopper, an opening in said bottom and behind sai-d face, and a gate over said opening and operable to open to permit the ejection of coal dust into a car beneath.

8. In apparatus' of the class described a plurality of hoppers, each having a constricted portion with an open ended chamber therebeneath, a plunger in each of said chambers, means to automatically and successively operate said plungers to discharge Iio coal or the like fromV said chambers into a car beneath, said plungers each discharging such a fractional portion of a carload fro-1n its respective hopper that when said car has passed all of said hoppers it will have its full load.V

9. In apparatus of the class described a hopper having a Vconstrieted portion, a traekway below said hopper, a car movable along said traekway, a reciprocating plunger below said constricted portion and adapted to discharge coal or the like therefrom into said car, a rack on said plunger,

a pinion engaging said rack, and reversible gearing connected for driving said pinion to operate said plunger, said gearing beingautomatically controlled by the passage of said car beneath said hopper.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe iny name to this speciication in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES S. WILLIAMSON.

Witnesses J. WALTER MOORE, M. B. KINNUCAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing` the Commissioner of latents.

' Washington, D. C. 

